Original Run

Season 8 of AMC's The Walking Dead consists of sixteen episodes; it premiered on October 22, 2017, and concluded on April 15, 2018. The show was renewed on October 16, 2016.[1]Scott Gimple continued as showrunner for the fifth and last consecutive season.

Contents

Plot

Residents of Alexandria, Hilltop and the Kingdom prepare for battle. Carl is at odds with his father after he scares off a survivor in need of food as Cal believes they can’t kill everyone they come across. Later, statically, they take out smaller Savior outposts and make their way to the Sanctuary as Ezekiel’s group disposes of a larger outpost. Negan steps out with his lieutenants — Dwight, Simon, Gavin, Regina and Eugene — that he will let them live if they surrender. No one accepts his offer. Gregory appears with them and declares the Hilltop stands with Negan but they refuse to stand down. Gunfire erupts and Gabriel positions an RV with explosives which breaches the gate and Walkers flood The Sanctuary. Amidst the chaos, Gabriel is left behind by Gregory who takes his getaway car and is trapped along with Negan in a trailer.

At a Savior outpost in an abandoned insurance office, The Militia launch their attack with gunfire and letting the dead Saviors turn and kill the rest of them. Some are killed while Aaron’s boyfriend Eric is shot and bleeding out. While this is happening, Rick, Daryl and three others enter the building from another direction and go from room to room searching for the weapons armory. Upstairs, he kills a Savior who has a baby girl in another room. While self-loathing, another Savior has him at gunpoint, he turns to find it is Morales.

Meanwhile, at the Satellite Outpost previously cleared out by the Alexandrians, Morgan, Tara, Jesus, Andy, Freddie and Dianne scout out the area. They go through it and while others like Morgan want to kill every Savior on sight, Jesus insists that they don’t have to kill everyone. It proven when a group of Saviors in the compound surrender. Among them is Jared, the Savior who killed Benjamin.

Deep in the woods, Ezekiel and his troops kill groups of Saviors on their way to an outpost. They sustain no casualties. Carol goes to sweep the compound for no threats but the Saviors fire on the confused the soldiers as they fall one by one.

Meanwhile, at the Office Outpost, Rick is held at gunpoint by Morales whom they converse while criticizing the others decisions until Daryl shoots Morales despite knowing who it was. With no guns to find, the two escape the compound. Rick retrieves the baby girl from the building, and Aaron, lost Eris, volunteers to take her to the Hilltop. A surviving Savior tells them the guns are at Gavin’s compound. Daryl shoots him dead, much to Rick's shock.

Elsewhere, the Hilltop and Alexandrian forces that attacked the Satellite Outpost are escorting the around 30 captured and shackled Saviors along a road at by armed guard. Morgan and Jesus argue and eventually fight over killing them which leads to Morgan going on his own. Upon arrival at the Hilltop, Maggie initially doesn’t like the idea but allows them to be imprisoned for leverage.

Ezekiel bursts out of the piles of dead bodies of his soldiers and screams in despair and, with an injured leg, walks off with a surviving member of his ranks until he is shot by Gunther. Along the way, he insults Ezekiel and his way of life and how he just a conman in a costume. After not being able take Ezekiel any further, Gunther decides to kill Ezekiel and take his head back to Negan but is bisected by Jerry.

Carol manages to catch up to the second group of Saviors as they begin loading the heavy weapons into a truck. Carol attempts to ambush the Savior crew but is still stymied, even when she attempts to use a hostage only for him to be shot by his own crew. She meets up with Ezekiel and Jerry and they head back to the Kingdom after they realize Rick and Daryl will get the guns. They cornered by Walkers until Shiva, Ezekiel’s pet tiger, jumps into the herd which gives them time to escape. The experience leaves Ezekiel shattered.

Negan and Fr. Gabriel are trapped in a trailer surrounded by walkers within the fences of Sanctuary. While initially hostile with each other, they realize their common goal at the moment is getting to safety and even share their deepest regrets before or in the beginning of the apocalypse. The douse themselves in Walker guts and make their way toward the Sanctuary.

Within the Sanctuary, Simon discusses the situation with the other lieutenants, believing Negan may be dead, and the power vacuum that that creates. While they also discuss the lowering supplies, Eugene puts one and one together that Dwight is a mole but keeps the information to himself. The workers, suffering from the heat, move up onto the second floor, against their normal orders, knowing something is wrong and they demand to see Negan. Negan appears and they fall to their knees in loyalty. Gabriel is taken to a cell where Eugene notices how ill he has become.

With stolen weapons destroyed, Rick heads to the Junkyard for their help and to sway him to his side once more. Rick shows Jadis some instant photos of dead Saviors in the aftermath of the three outpost battles, as proof of their impending defeat. This doesn’t sway Jadis and has Rick stripped naked and locked in a dark room.

At the Hilltop, Maggie is still wary on keeping the captured Saviors alive while Jesus sees to their needs. Later, she has them put in a cell made by Jesus and declares they will not be mistreated. She also puts Gregory in the pen as she does not trust him. Jesus attempts to thank Maggie but she rebuffs him saying that they merely leverage and will die if there’s no use for them.

At the Kingdom, Carol tries to snap Ezekiel out of his grieve-induced depression to lead The Kingdom. However, the man cannot bring himself to because he feels undeserving to lead them.

Carl returns to the woods, in search of the man he met at the gas station. He finds the mysterious stranger and gives him food and water. After introducing themselves, he learns the man’s name is Siddiq. Carl tells Siddiq about his community and asks him Rick's three screening questions. They come across a small group of walkers feeding on a dead elk. After a slight struggle, they kill all the walkers and continue towards Alexandria.

Tried of waiting for The Saviors to starve out, Daryl and Tara set their own plan into motion with help from the snipers outside the Sanctuary. They crash a truck into the compound where Walkers flood in and kill a few soldiers and workers much to Eugene’s disgust while he is battling a crisis of conscience. Eugene is tasked on pain of death to find a way out of the Sanctuary while avoiding Dwight who is wise to Eugene’s suspicions and warns him to keep quiet.

Rick is photographed and almost executed by Jadis until he gets her on her knees and explains how The Saviors will turn on her regardless of the war’s outcome and convince her to fight once more. They reach the Sanctuary where much to Rick’s horror, the Walkers are gone and a doorway is opened

A visibly shaken up Rick tries to contact the snipers surrounding the Sanctuary but gets no response. Rick leads the Scavengers to the Sanctuary only to discover piles of dead walkers and is greeted by gunfire. The Scavengers retreat and Rick is rescued by Carol and Jerry.
Enid and Aaron are on their way to Oceanside to recruit them to fight. After nightfall, Aaron sees a figure in the dark and both go to check it out. Aaron is attacked, but Enid shoots the attacker, who turns out to be Natania.

Meanwhile, Gavin invades The Kingdom but Ezekiel, who regained his confidence, distracts the Saviors long enough for his people to escape and let himself be taken prisoner.

In Alexandria, The Saviors arrive and attack. Carl leads the survivors to an escape and then tries to reason with Negan. He asks he kill him but let everyone else go. Negan partially shocked about this asks Carl if he wants to die, to which he replies he doesn't but will. Daryl’s convey leaves the community and the Saviors that follow are led to an ambush. Dwight is taken back To Alexandria with the group after a fellow Savior, Laura, realizes he made it happen. Rick makes it back to Alexandria where after fighting Negan, he finds Carl has been bit by a Walker.

In the sewers, Rick and the others are in shock of Carl’s condition. He firmly tells the group that the Saviors had nothing to do with it, that it just happened as he was helping Siddiq. He says goodbye to his family and friends as they head for the surface. Rick and Michonne take him to the church where Carl implores his father to find peace between him and Negan as there’s “got to be an after” and so he can be the man he used to be. He shoots himself in the head and the couple bury him.

Carl explains that Rick’s decision to stop fighting and welcome survivors into the prison was instrumental in shaping him. “It can be like that again,” he tells Rick.

Michonne and Rick continue to mourn Carl as they make their way out of Alexandria. They drive to the Junkyard to help Jadis as her people are officially target for trying help Rick again. They get there and find they’re all dead with only Jadis as the survivor. Simon, Negan’s second-in-command, has killed them against Negan’s orders. Despite sincerely asking to go with them, Rick leaves her trapped in the junkyard as he’s “tired of her games.” Rick, later, reads Carl’s letter to Negan and himself and calls Negan on a walkie-talkie to inform him of Carl’s death and the letter. Both men condemn each other over the blame as Rick vows once more Negan will die.

Meanwhile, Enid and Aaron’s lives are in the hands of Cyndie who nearly has them killed until Enid talks her out of it saying it won’t make her feel any better. After some hesitation, Cyndie lets them live but warns them not to come back. Aaron insists on staying at Oceanside, despite their warning and reluctance to fight, to try and convince the community to join their forces and sends Enid back to the Hilltop.

Escaping The Sanctuary with Eugene’s help earlier, Harlan Carson and Gabriel make their way through wooded area where Harlan discovers that Gabriel’s eyesight is deteriorating from an infection and may go blind unless he has antibiotics at once. They stumble upon a cottage where they find the pills they need and Gabriel is treated. While continuing their journey, they are discovered and Harlan, in a moment of confidence, is killed by a Savior leaving Gabriel devastated. He is then taken to Eugene’s bullet factory where he is now a worker and Eugene is in charge off.

Meanwhile, Daryl leads the remaining Alexandrians to the Hilltop using Dwight to help navigate and find shortcuts. Dwight shows them a swamp that the Saviors don’t use because of the danger of floating Walkers. Tara, still vengeful for Denise’s death, opts to watch Dwight only to separate from the other in order to kill him. After failed gunshot attempts, a group of Saviors appear and Dwight comes out of hiding to prevent Tara from being found. Since they don’t know of his betrayal, he goes with them back to Sanctuary. Daryl is furious that he is gone but still manages to get them to the Hilltop where everyone learns of Carl’s death.

With weapons covered in Walker blood, The Saviors make their way to The Hilltop only to be stopped by an unstable Rick when he chases and rams Negan. In an abandoned building, Negan evades Rick while offering a deal to end the fighting. Rick refuses, telling him of the Scavengers demise and how they made a deal with him and paid the price. Rick and Negan fight. Meanwhile, walkers flood out of the storage room and attack. Negan tackles Rick and escapes but is soon captured by an angry Jadis.

After discovering Negan’s wrecked car, Simon decides to use it as a way to assume charge under the guise of Negan being dead. Dwight goes along with it to keep an eye on him and In case Negan comes back.

Maggie encounters Georgie, a survivor who offers knowledge in exchange for records. While Enid is for just killing her group and taking what they want, Michonne believes they need get all the allies they can get. After some deliberation, Maggie considers the trade and is given a set of plans on how to better The Hilltop. Georgie promises to return someday for her end of the bargain.

That night, Simon leads the Saviors to the Hilltop to where Maggie tries to bargain the lives of the POW Saviors, but Simon writes off the POWs. A battle breaks out between the two groups, leaving some of Rick’s and Maggie’s group injured. As the morning passes into night, wounded fighters begin to die and become walkers. The group realizes that the weapons the Saviors used were coated in Walker blood and many were infected.

Meanwhile, Henry. still vengeful and with a machine gun, attempts to seek out the Savior who killed his brother in the pen. Jared, takes advantage of the chaos and steal the gun and he escapes with some other Saviors. The remaining Saviors helps clear out the Walkers and shut the gate.

Jadis has Negan tied to a dolly and prepares to subject him to torture and execution. She prepares to burn Lucille but Negan turns the tables on her and threatens to burn sentimental pictures from her old life. She rams the walker into Negan and wrestles a flare away. To her dismay, the flare falls in a puddle of water and the flame is snuffed. A helicopter appears overhead. She tries to hail it to no avail. She is about to burn Lucille when Negan finally dissuades her. He vows to settle things with the perpetrator of the massacre. Negan drives out of the junkyard and along the way, he picks up an unknown stranger on his way to the Sanctuary.

Morgan and Rick come across the runaway Saviors whom Rick intends to kill despite being asked to not kill them. They are bound and gagged while Jared takes charge and the group deliberates on what to do with Rick. Rick gives them his word that he won’t harm them if they go back to the Hilltop. Walkers flood the bar and they all kill the walkers but Rick and Morgan kill all, including Jared. Morgan begins to doubt his sanity and beliefs in killing everyone.

Cyndie and her crew find Aaron in the woods near Oceanside. Cyndie decides that it's not her problem if Aaron wants to starve, and they leave him to die. He fights off Walkers in a weakened state and wins. Cyndie’s group returns and he finally convinces them to join the fight.

Daryl and Rosita decide to kidnap Eugene to prevent bullets being made and to use his intelligence for their own purpose. Eugene attempts to explain himself but Rosita dismisses it claiming he’s a coward who sacrifice his only friends in order to live. Eugene escapes them and makes it back to the bullet factory where he orders the bullets to be finished for Negan’s trap.

Negan returns to the Sanctuary where he systematically takes down Simon for attempting mutiny and killing whole groups of people against orders. Later, with Laura’s confession, makes Dwight a prisoner for betraying the Saviors and reveals he gave false info to give Rick where Negan intends to kill them all.

As Rick, Maggie, and Ezekiel’s forces make their way to the meet spot, Negan reveals himself and his massive number of troops. As they open fire, their guns malfunction. The bullets explode in their hands thanks to Eugene and Gabriel’s tampering. Rick's army charges. The Saviors surrender but Rick and Negan continue their fight where Rick tricks Negan into letting his guard down and slashes his throat. Thinking about Carl’s last wish and Negan saying that Carl was wrong, Rick orders Siddiq to save Negan despite Maggie’s objections. Rick orders the Saviors to return home and proclaims that Negan's rule is over. He points to the massive herd in the distance and declares that they must unite to fight the walkers, the real threat.

At the Hilltop, Saviors invade while the community escapes in the woods. Alden and Tara head back to distract them only to find Oceanside throwing Molotov cocktails at the Saviors, killing them.

Post-war moments reveal The Militia delivering supplies to the Sanctuary to help them re-build. Daryl spares Dwight on the condition that he find Sherry and never come back to Alexandria. Maggie, not satisfied with the outcome, conspires with Jesus and Daryl to plot against Rick. Morgan invite Jadis to move to Alexandria while he stays in the Junkyard. Negan recovers in the infirmary where Rick and Michonne inform him that he will rot in a cell for the rest of his life.

Although, Chandler Riggs is re-added to the opening credits in "Worth" due to his voice-only role.

This season has the highest death toll by far, with at least 690 deaths as of "Wrath", beating Season 6 with 134 deaths.

This season also has a higher death count than every other season combined.

Despite this, this season ties with Season 2, Season 4 and Season 6 as the season with the least number of main character deaths, with only two main characters - Carl and Simon.

Coincidentally, all 4 seasons are seasons with even numbers (2, 4, 6, and 8), whereas the seasons with odd numbers (excluding Season 1, which featured no main character deaths) featured more than two main character deaths (Season 3 had 3 main character deaths, and Season 5 and Season 7 both had 4 main character deaths each).

AMC announced The Walking Dead Play Dead Sweepstakes, which gave four lucky fans the chance to play a walker in the 100th episode (Season 8 premiere) of The Walking Dead. The sweepstakes began with the Mid-Season Premiere of Season 7.

This is the last season in which Scott Gimple is showrunner for The Walking Dead.